Cube-sugar packing device



H. DIPPEL CUBE SUGAR PACKING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed oct. 1o, 1.923

Patented Sept. i6, 1924.

narran stares saresti.

HENRY DIPPEL, 0F SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CUBE-SUGAR VPACKNG? DEVICE.

Application filed October 10, 1923. Serial No. 667,649.

T 0 all zii/7mm t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY Dirrni., a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco, and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cube-Sugar Packing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a packing device and especially to a device of this character which is adapted for thepurpose of handling cube sugar.

Sugar, as is well known, is sold in various forms, such as powdered sugar, granulated sugar, lump sugar, cube sugar, etc. The latter form is probably the most expensive and the least used; this being due to the high cost of manufacture and'also because some individuals consider cube sugar more or less unsanitary,

Cube sugar during the latter stages of its manufacture is first passed through a molding machine. The molded sugar is then deposited on trays. The trays are in turn placed in drying ovens and are then transferred to the packing rooms where packers. usually girls, pick up the cubes by hand and pack them in row formation in cartons, boxes or the like, in which they are linally sold. It. is the hand packing operation which is 4the most expensive, especially in the manufacture of cube sugar, and the one objectedv to by certain consumers as unsanitary.

The object of the present inventionis to generally improve and simplify the packing operation of cube sugar; to improve sanitary conditions by eliminating hand packing, and further, to materially decrease the cost of the packing operation.

One form which Vmy cube sugar packingy device may assume is exemplified in'the following description andV illustrated in' the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the packing device. Y i

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partially in section, said side elevation showing a carton partially packed and the packing device positioned therein .and-depositing a layer of,y

. cube sugar.

Fig.` 3 is a plan view ofa sugar drying` tray; this'view showing'the sugar as it is deposited by the mold, and said view also showing a portion of the sugar assembled for removal by the packing device.

`forces the gripping levers in an outward direction and as the extensions 12a and 13a sired to bring t-he gripping Aplates together vReferring to the drawings in detail, and particularly to Fig. 1, A indicates a base vplate at each end of which is mounted a gripping plate; these gripping plates being indicated at 2 and 3. Disposed at each end of the base plate are pairs of bearing members as indicated at 4L and -5. Secured to Athe gripping plate 2 and extending through the bearing members 4; are combined'guidcv and supporting rods k6, and similarly securedjto the gripping plate 3 and extending throughthe bearings 5 are combinedy guide and supporting rods 7. Centrally secured to the base plate A is a bearing bracket 8, and extending vertically and upwardly fromthe same is a tube-9 which terminates in a handle 10. Formed in each side of the tube is a slot as indicated at 11 and extending` therethrough is a pair of gripping levers 12 and 13. These levers are pivotally supported within the tube as indicated at V11i. They are then extended upwardly in substantial parallelism with the handle 10 and finally terminate in hookshaped extensions such as shownat 15 and 15a. The lower .end of the gripping leverV 13 is extended as shown at 13a. This extensionY is connected with the gripping plate 2 through means of a link 16. The other gripping lever 12 is similarly extended as shown at 12a and it is connected with the gripping plate 8 through means of a link 17 ,Y the links 16 and 17 being pivotally connected to the respective gripping plates and similarly to the gripping lever extensions 12a and 13a. 1

Disposed between the gripping levers 12 and 13 is aspring 18. This spring lnormally cross each other they'will similarlyassume a separated position. The movement of the extensions 12a and 13 is transmitted through the links 16 and 17 to separate the gripping plates 2 and 3 or, in otherwords, to maintain them spaced with relation to the endsfof theybase plate A. If it is deor, in other' words, to move them inwardly towards the ends of the base plate, rit is lonly necessary to ,grasp thelevers 12 and 13 and to press theminwardly towards each other. This movement' is transmitted through: the extensions 122L and13a-and the vlinks 16 and 17, and the gripping plates 2-A and 3 are thusv pulled toward each other. Again, if

the gripping levers 12 and 13 are released, the gripping plates 2 and 3 will automatically expand and separate as the pressure of the spring 18 will automatically transmit and insure such movement.

Disposed below the base plate A is pusher plate B. This plate is provided with a pair of upwardly extending rod-like extensions 20. These rods pass through the base plate and the bearing bracket 8, and they are secured to a collar 21 which is slidably mounted on the tube 9. A pair of springs is interposed between the bearing bracket 8 and the collar 21, and the collar 21, together with the pusher plate B, is thus normally maintained in raised position, and lowering of the pusher plate is only obtained by manual operation; that is, the collar 21 must be pushed downwardly when it is desired to lower the pusher plate, the downward movement of the collar 21 being transmitted through the rods 2O to depress the pusher plate.

The device so far illustrated will bc referred as a packing device and as stated in the preamble is particularly intended for the handling of cube sugar. It is essential that a device of this kind be kept as clean as possible for sanitary reasons and as this is the case a cover or housing is employed as shown at C in Fig. 2. This housing encloscs the bearing bracket 8, the links 16 and 17, the bearings land 5, and the guide rods 6 and 7. This mechanism may therefore be lubricated if desired and as it is entirely enclosed there is no danger of soiling or in any way contaminating the sugar to be handled.

For the purpose of illustrating the operation of the packing device, reference is made to Figs. 2 and 3. It wasV previously stated that the cube sugar during its latter stages of manufacture is passed through a molding machine; the sugar when molded being deposited on drying trays which in reality are nothing more or less than large fiat, rectangular shaped iron plates such as shown at D in Fig. 3. These plates are placed in drying ovens and when the cubes are thoroughly dry they are transferred to the packing roomsa where girls pick up the sugar lumps and place them in row formation in cartons. It is this particular step in the manufactureand packing of cube sugar which is objected to by certain consumers as they consider it unsanitary., due to the fact that each individual lump is handled.. The present invention entirely overcomes this objection and furthermore reduces the cost of the packing operation. It also materially speeds the operation thereof and simplifies the same. The sugar lumps or cubes when deposited on the drying tray or plate D assume the position shown in Fig. 3, that is, each lump is separated. Therefore to permit thelumps to be readily handled' by the incassa' packing device Ahere illustrated the girl or other operator handling the same will only grasp a straight edge or rule and force the cubes together as shown at E in Fig. 3. in this instance the carton is of such size that seven cubes will till the width of the carton and fifteen cubes the length of the carton. T ie dotted lines shown at 30, 31, 32 and 33 show the divisions between each group of cubesj which is seven cubes wide and iifteen cubes long. For instance, after the packer has assembled one group she will next insert the straight edge on the dotted line indicated at and move it in the direct-ion of arrow a. This will force the cubes together to form the width of the pack. The ruler .iay nest be placed on the tray. on the line indicated at 33. and moved in the direction of arrow b. This will force the cubes together along thc length of the pack and they will thus assume an assembled and contacting position as shown at E. This may be repeated until all the cubes are assembled in groups. The operator then grasps the packing device by means of the gripping levers and lowers it over a group of assembled sugar. he operator then presses the gripping levers together and as such forces the gripping plates 2 and 3 together. These plates will thus forcibly engage the end rows of an assembled group of cubes and the whole layer may thus be picked up at one time and deposited in the carton shown at F in Fig. 2. Vihen the packing device has been placed in the carton the operator merely releases the pressure on the gripping levers and at the same time pushes downwardly on the collar 21. This forces the whole layer of sugar downwardly and out from between the gripping plates 2 and 3, and the packing device can thus be lifted out of the carton so as to grip a new layer. The operation is repeated again and again until the carton is packed. and as a whole layer is inserted during each operation it is obvious that a carton is packed in a short time when comparison is made with hand packing. thus reducing the cost of the pack. Tt will further be noted that the sugar does not come in contact with the packer and as such is the case sanitary conditions are maintained as there is no necessity for the packer to even touch a single cube.

Thilo the present invention is described as being employed in connection with the packing of cube sugar it is obvious that it may be employed for other similar uses and it should therefore not be limited thereto. l also wish it understood that various changes in form and proportion may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims, and that the materials and finish of the several parts employed may be such as the experience and judgment of the manufacturer may dictate or various uses may demand.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is-

l. A device oit the character described comprising a base plate, a pair of gripping plates mounted thereon, means for opening and closing the plates in unison, and a pusher plate disposed between the gripping plates.

2. il device of the character described comprising a base plate, a pair of gripping plates mounted thereon, means for opening and closing the plates in unison, a pusher plate disposed between the gripping plates, and means for operating the pusher plate independent ot the gripping plates.

5%. A device of the character described comprising a base plate, a pair of gripping plates one at each end thereof, manually operated means for imparting a longitudinal movement to the gripping plates in unison to and away from each other, a pusher plate disposed below the base plate and between the gripping plates, means Jfor automatically holding the pusher plate in a normal raised position, and other means for manually depressing the pusher plate.

4. A device of the character described comprising a base plate, a pair of gripping plates one at each end thereof, a handle on the base plate, a pair oi3 pivotally mounted gripping levers on the handle, means for transmitting movement from'said levers to open and close the gripping plates, a pusher' plate disposed below the base plate and between the gripping plates, means for automatically holding the pusher plate in a normally raisedk position, and other means for manually depressing the pusher plate.

5. A device oit the character described comprising a base plate, apair of gripping plates one at each end thereof, a handle on the base plate, a pair of pivotally mounted gripping levers on the handle, means for transmitting movement from said levers to close the gripping plates, means for automatically opening the gripping plates, a pusher plate disposed below the base plate and between the gripping plates, means for auitomaticallyv holding the pusher plate in a normally raised position, and other means for manually depressing the pusher plate. p

6. A device ofthe character described comprising a base plate, a pair of gripping plates one at each end thereof, a handle on the base plate, a pair of pivotally mounted gripping levers on the handle, means for transmittingy movement from said gripping levers to open the gripping plates, spring actuated means for separating the gripping plates, a pusher plate disposed below the base plate and between t-he gripping plates, spring means normally supporting the pusher plate in a raised position, and a collar through which movement maybe manually transmitted to lower the pusher plate.

` HENRY DIPPEL. 

